


stole my mind and found my dreams

by midheaven



Series: oh, my heart is waking [2]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 18:18:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midheaven/pseuds/midheaven
Summary: “What are you doing?”They reach a stoplight. Hyunjin stops the car, turns to Heejin with the widest grin. Her eyes form crescents. “I’m kidnapping you!”Heejin has to pause for a second to make sure she heard it right. Hyunjin’s beaming at her as if she just saw a cute puppy across the street. That can’t be what she just said.But Hyunjin just continues to stare at her, smiling, and so Heejin can’t help herself anymore.“You’rewhat?”Or: Heejin recalls how she fell—pretty much like they do in the movies.





	stole my mind and found my dreams

**Author's Note:**

> hello! after a month and a bit, here's part two! well, not really part two--this is in the same universe as _lovesick_ but just set a few years earlier (haseul is a high school senior). a prequel that's not really a prequel, i guess.
> 
> this is a mini love letter to the best type of film out there, which is late 90s/early 00s romcoms. they inspire me a lot, in writing or otherwise, and i guess this is just my way of giving tribute. maybe it's also why it's like, twice as long as i anticipated jhskjhkdhk help?????
> 
> i'd like to thank dykes united^tm for holding my hand throughout this whole thing, aka me running to them in a panic and then them calming me down with really cool suggestions. i love y'all.
> 
> title from oh wonder

Stressed is a gross understatement for how Heejin feels right now.

There’s about five deadlines that she needs to meet, finals season is around the corner, and there’s prom.

_Prom._

Being the head of committee had its perks—Heejin _did_ have a thing for event organising, thank you very much—but it was breathing down her neck, and at this point she was ready to rip her hair from her head.

She’s finalising arrangements with the caterer, composing an email on her laptop while spending her lunch break in the library because 1) it was quiet and 2) who needs to eat, _anyway?_

So when someone approaches her and calls, “Heejin,” she just— _explodes._

“ _What?_ ” she roars.

The librarian promptly shushes her.

“Sorry,” Heejin whispers, and turns to the person who’d called her name, and— _oh, God._

“Bad time?” Hyunjin asks, sheepish.

“Darling, no—” Heejin sighs. “No, you know it’s never a bad time for you. I’m sorry. I’m just—”

“I know.” Hyunjin pulls out a chair and sits beside Heejin, and already Heejin feels some of the restlessness in her body melt. “And I know you’re not allowed to eat here,” she whispers, “but you need _something_ in you.”

Hyunjin opens her bag to reveal a ziploc filled with grapes. She picks one and offers it to Heejin, careful for the librarian not to see. Heejin accepts it gratefully.

“What’s this?” Hyunjin peers over Heejin’s shoulder. “Ah. Prom?”

Heejin gags. “Please don’t say that word ever again.”

Hyunjin smirks. “Prom. _Prom. Promenade._ Prom. Prompromprom—”

“Hyun, I swear to God—”

Hyunjin just smiles and puts another grape in Heejin’s mouth.

  
  


“We need to release a statement of support for the dance team’s big competition this weekend,” Haseul tells them, “and we need to start preparing for Teacher’s Day. Of course we’ll probably just hold the same program as we do every year, but new ideas are welcome.”

The Council collectively nods in agreement. After-class meetings are always difficult, especially at this point in the semester, but with Haseul at the helm, they manage. Heejin notes down _Teacher’s Day_ in her planner, and takes a look at Soeun, their creatives and publicity head. “You’ll handle the statement?”

“Got it, boss.”

Heejin smiles.

“And next on our agenda is … oh, Prom,” Haseul says.

Heejin is about to stand up, getting ready to lay out all the things they still have to do, but Haseul turns to Jiwoo and says, “Lights and sounds are almost done, yes?”

Jiwoo nods. “Just waiting for a response.”

“Good.” Haseul gives her a nod in return. Heejin is thoroughly confused. She was just about to tell them that they needed to finalise that.

“And the final headcount? All the money, it’s all sorted out?” Haseul asks Junkyu this time, who smiles and gives a thumbs up.

“It’s about 90% done, but that’s because we have to do recounts,” he explains. “I’ll have final numbers by tonight.”

Haseul claps her two hands together. “Excellent. And—oh, is there anything you need, Heejin?”

Heejin just kind of—stares, mouth agape from where she is at her seat. “Um, I just—”

“Okay, good!” Haseul looks over at Jiwoo, who smiles at her like they’re sharing a secret, and head towards Heejin.

Heejin is very unkindly pulled up from her seat by Jiwoo (who is _so much_ stronger than she looks) while Haseul dumps all of her things into her bag. Before Heejin can complain, she’s got her stuff in her hands and being shoved out the door.

“We’ll take it from here, Heejin! Since Prom is almost ready to go, you’re okay for the day,” Haseul says.

Heejin turns to face behind her. “But I—”

“See you tomorrow, Heejin!” Jiwoo says, and the door is slammed shut in front of her.

Heejin sighs. She turns around and starts walking away, but stops when she sees someone in front of her.

Said someone gives her a charming smile and a wave. “Hi there, Heej.”

Hyunjin is dressed in a loose T-shirt and shorts—her usual, after training outfit—and her skin is still (deliciously) covered in a light sheen of sweat. Her hair is tied, and the ponytail swishes when she moves her head. “All good?” she asks.

Heejin tilts her head, eyebrows furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

Hyunjin shrugs, taking Heejin’s things so she can carry them herself. (Heejin had always tried to stop her from doing this, but with Hyunjin’s superior strength, she was never successful.) “I thought I’d drive you home today.”

“But I told you my meeting would run late—”

Something clicks. Heejin narrows her eyes. “Wait …”

The gears in her head _turn._ Hyunjin knows the rest of the prom agenda, is good friends with Haseul and Jiwoo, the fact that said friends kicked her out—

“Did you—”

“Yeah, babe, I did,” Hyunjin replies, matter-of-factly. “You need to _delegate_ , Heejin. I know you feel a sense of responsibility and all but that’s why you have a _team._ They can pull their weight too, you know. I told Haseul unnie, she said she could get it covered. It’s that easy.”

(One of the things about dating Hyunjin was that Heejin’s personality had started to rub off on her. Hyunjin saying things like _delegate_ and giving her a talk about teamwork was undeniably attractive, but Heejin doesn’t know if getting a taste of her own medicine (she’d given Haseul many a lecture of taking it easy) was something that sat well with her. But, whatever.)

Heejin blows a sharp exhale through her nose. “Fine.”

“Yeah?” Hyunjin raises her eyebrows, hopeful. She holds out her hand. “Let’s go?”

Heejin takes it.

  
  


-

  
  


Heejin fell for Hyunjin pretty much like they do in the movies.

Hyunjin had been on Heejin’s radar for a while—Heejin just found her cute, that’s all, and she liked it when she saw her in the hallway/gym/classroom, but it wasn’t anything more than that.

But then one lunch period—

“Jeon,” Haseul called.

Heejin whipped her head around. “Hi, unnie,” she greets.

“Hey.” Haseul smiled, looked at Heejin with that same care and affection that she seemed to hold with … well, everyone. “Uh, Coach Do wants to meet us outside the gym after last period.”

“Coach Do?” Heejin licked her lips. Coach Do was a huge, burly log of a man, and was in charge of the school’s basketball team. Heejin had the faintest idea what he’d want to do with her. “Why?”

Haseul shrugged, holding her clipboard closer to her chest. “Wouldn’t say. But you can be there, right?”

“Yeah.” Heejin nodded. “Okay.”

  
  


Outside the gym awaited Haseul and Coach Do, but one more figure caught her surprise.

“Ah, Heejin,” Coach Do greeted with a smile and a wave. He put his hand on the shoulders of the student next to him and said, “This is Kim Hyunjin, one of our best players.”

“Hello, Heejin-ssi.” Hyunjin bowed.

Heejin tried not to let her shock show on her face. She turned to look at Haseul, eyes wide, and all Haseul gave Heejin was a smirk and a sly wink.

She’d been _set up._

Heejin’s nostrils flared, but she’d have to deal with Haseul later. First: Kim Hyunjin, in front of her, doe-eyed and smile wide, looking really, really cute.

_Great._

“Hyunjin-ssi,” Heejin returned, with a bow of her own, hoping she didn’t betray anything.

“Now that that’s settled,” Coach Do began. He  clapped his hands together, and he did it so loudly that Heejin swore the sound reverberated. “Heejin, I need to ask a favour.”

Heejin nodded. “Yes, seonsaengnim,” she replied.

He smiled. “So the Varsity Program has a grade retention policy …”

Oh, no.

_Oh, no._

Heejin already knew where this was headed.

Coach Do continued on, but nothing registered in Heejin’s head. She looked sideward again at Haseul, still smug as ever. Haseul had unfortunately been on the receiving end of most of Heejin’s crush troubles—of whom Hyunjin is part—and was no doubt the reason why Hyunjin is being given to _her_ and not someone like, say, Jung Jinsol, who is _leagues_ smarter.

Heejin glared. Haseul mouthed, _You’re welcome._

“So can you do it?”

Heejin’s head snapped up. Coach Do was looking at her with expectant eyes, while Hyunjin was shy, biting her lip.

“I—”

“Come on, Heejin. My Hyunjin here just needs a B+ in Math. Can you help her?”

Everything in Heejin’s system was telling her _no_ , that this was a bad idea, that she wouldn’t let Haseul have the satisfaction, that she’s not even that _great_ in Math.

But then Kim Hyunjin was one of the best on the team, and she’s looking at Heejin with _those eyes._

Heejin mumbled, “Sure,” before she even noticed.

“Oh, thank you!” Hyunjin exclaimed, taking Heejin’s hand in hers and shaking it. “Thank you so much, I promise won’t let you down.”

She’s never been this close to Hyunjin before.

Her hand was warm against Heejin’s, and the skin on her arm a lovely tan, and her muscles flexed just the slightest bit as she shook Heejin’s hand and—

And Hyunjin was _smiling_ , and—has her smile always been this pretty?  

Her cheeks rose and the fat under her eyes got a bit more pronounced and Heejin’s heart caught in her throat. Heejin thought about how she’d probably be spending time with Hyunjin _regularly_ from now on, how her afternoons would be comprised of seeing fresh from practice, slightly sweaty Kim Hyunjin sitting beside her and doing math exercises.

Oh, no.

_Oh, no._

  
  


-

  


After putting their things in the trunk and fastening their seatbelts, Hyunjin drives.

(One handed with her other hand on the gear shift. _Ugh_ , as if Heejin needed any more reason to find Hyunjin annoyingly hot.)

“You get your English paper back today?” Heejin asks, remembering how Hyunjin had been dreading it the night before.

Hyunjin blows out a puff of air. “Yeah. Got an eighty-five.”

“Hey!” Heejin exclaims, turning in her seat to face Hyunjin. She puts her hand over Hyunjin’s resting one. “That’s great, babe! I’m really proud of you!”

Hyunjin takes a moment to steal a brief glance at Heejin. There’s a flash—a split second, really, where Hyunjin takes an inhale and her eyes just get _that_ much gentler. It’s a face she makes, Heejin’s learned, when Hyunjin wants to say something important. But as quickly as it appears, it vanishes.

Hyunjin gives a small smile, soft and sincere all the same. “Thanks.”

Heejin doesn’t ask. She laces their fingers together.

It’s quiet for the next few minutes, save for the low hum of the engine. Heejin’s resting her head on the window, about to fall asleep, but then she looks at the view outside and sees Hyunjin make a wrong turn.

“Hyun?” Heejin asks, sitting up. “Hyun, you made a wrong turn.”

Hyunjin frowns. “No I didn’t.”

“My house is _that_ way.” Heejin jerks her thumb to the right direction.

“I know.”

Heejin narrows her eyes. “Kim Hyunjin.”

“Mm?”

“What are you doing?”

They reach a stoplight. Hyunjin stops the car, turns to Heejin with the widest grin. Her eyes form crescents. “I’m kidnapping you!”

Heejin has to pause for a second to make sure she heard it right. Hyunjin’s beaming at her as if she just saw a cute puppy across the street. That can’t be what she just said.

But Hyunjin just continues to stare at her, smiling, and so Heejin can’t help herself anymore.

“You’re _what?_ ”

“Kidnapping, babe,” Hyunjin replies. The light turns green, and so Hyunjin faces back front, the car on the move again. “Do you need the dictionary definition?”

“I know what kidnapping means, you blockhead,” Heejin counters, “but what exactly—”

Heejin cuts herself off as she realises where they’re going. There’s only one place Hyunjin must be thinking of if they’re headed this way.

“Kim Hyunjin!” Heejin exclaims. “We are _not_ going to the arcade!”

“Yes we are, _Jeon Heejin_.”

Heejin scoffs. “I can’t believe you! I have Prom, my Chemistry _and_ Japanese tests to study for, and my History paper isn’t gonna write itself!”

Hyunjin rolls her eyes. “Okay, first, didn’t I tell you that Prom was already taken care of? And second: name the three gas laws.”

“I—” Heejin had an argument ready, but wasn’t expecting Hyunjin to ask her that. Nevertheless, she answers, “Boyle’s, Charles’, and Gay-Lussac’s.”

“See? You’re ready.”

“That was _one question_!” Heejin cries. “Plus, I still have _Japanese_ —”

“Go rewatch Naruto or something—”

“And _History_! Wait. Did you just tell me to _rewatch Naruto_ —”

“We’re here!”

Heejin turns and faces the window. True enough, they’re at the entrance to the open parking lot that’s beside Hyunjin’s favourite arcade. She sighs. No going back now.

“Come on, babe,” Hyunjin says as she finds a place to park. She spots one with a quiet _aha_ and backs into it, her car beeping quietly. “One day. One short afternoon. You’ll be fine.”

Heejin crosses her arms and grumbles, “Fine.”

  


They start on air hockey, because it really is the only thing in arcades that’s worth one’s time. (Well, to Heejin.)

“Babe,” Hyunjin says, “No offence, but I’m actually gonna destroy you.”

Heejin’s eyebrow twitches. Hyunjin _knew_ that getting Heejin all riled up and competitive would make her invested in staying longer in the arcade just to protect her pride.

Unfortunately—Hyunjin’s right. “I’d like to see you try,” Heejin replies, already taking her place at her side of the table.

Hyunjin smirks. She swipes the card, and the game begins.

  


Hyunjin wins. By a _small_ margin, by the way, Heejin would like to make that clear.

The machine prints out the tickets, and already Heejin is antsy to start the next game.

She’s tugging on Hyunjin’s arm, and Hyunjin laughs. She turns to look at Heejin.  “The most wins by …”

Heejin glances at her watch. She can afford another hour and a half here. “Six?”

Hyunjin nods, once, determined. Her face sets. “Loser pays for the next date?”

“You got it, Kim.”

  


They try this game that’s kinda like beer pong—but without the beer. Heejin wins this time. 1-1.

Afterwards they do _Dance Dance Revolution._ Heejin again, thanks to her limited dance club experience (one year, fifth grade). Heejin 2-1 Hyunjin.

Racecar driving. 3-1. (“Hyun, _you’re_ the one that drives between the two of us!” “That’s exactly why I lost! This shit is _completely_ different from driving in real life!”)

_Street Fighter._ 3-2.

_Guitar Hero._ Hyunjin catches up to Heejin. 3-3.

“An hour gone, Jeon Heejin,” Hyunjin sing-songs. “Where next?”

“The reload station, actually.” Heejin holds up their card between her fingers. “We’re running low.”

“You do that, babe,” is Hyunjin’s reply, “I’ll look around.”

“You got it.”

“And Heejin?”

“Yeah?”

And there’s that look again, the one Hyunjin gave Heejin in the car, but this time it’s deeper, her eyes warm and bright and searching. Yearning. Hyunjin opens her mouth and Heejin braces herself.

But all Hyunjin has to say is, “Just five thousand won is enough, right?”

Heejin exhales. “Yeah, Hyun. Sure.”

  


When Heejin returns from reloading their card and finds Hyunjin, she sees something that nearly makes her heart stop.

Hyunjin’s at the skeeball machine, helping out a little kid. Hyunjin is crouched behind him, holding his hand in her own, guiding him on how to do a proper throw. “You’re still a bit small, so you need to make up for your wrist with your elbow,” she tells him. “Follow through.”

The kid’s eyebrows pinch in a (too cute for this world) look of concentration. “Follow through,” he repeats under his breath, and tosses up the ball. It falls in the 50.

“Good job, Wonjae-yah!” Hyunjin commends, clapping.

He turns back, his grin wide. “Thanks, noona.”

Hyunjin stands up straight and ruffles Wonjae’s hair. “You have fun, okay? This pretty noona will just be around if you need me.”

“Okay!” Wonjae nods his head with all the gusto his tiny body can muster. “Thank you again!”

“Anytime,” Hyunjin replies, and that’s when she takes Heejin’s hand and they walk away, weaving their way through the bodies in the arcade’s small space.

“That was cute,” Heejin tells Hyunjin, fond. “You look good with kids.”

“Jeon Heejin!” Hyunjin exclaims. “You saying you want _children_ with me?”

Heejin rolls her eyes to hide the fact that her cheeks burn. Images of Hyunjin playing with a baby, her cradling one, her lifting a tiny hand to wave it to say _Hi_ to Heejin as she comes home all appear in Heejin’s brain in a flash.

“Shut up,” is all she manages to say.

  


-

  


Okay, so her and Hyunjin weren’t _always_ like the movies.

Let her explain:

It was in the middle of the semester, and she and Hyunjin have started to become close. Their sessions happened twice a week, and that did _nothing_ to help Heejin’s crush.

(There was this one little moment they had involving Heejin slipping and Hyunjin catching her and they _almost_ kissed, and Heejin thinks that _maybe_ her feelings were reciprocated? But she didn’t want to dwell on that.)

But then one afternoon, it rained.

Heejin looked out the window overlooking the carpark and cursed her luck. She’d have to wait this out.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she hissed. She had a ton of stuff she needed to do when she got home, and this weather wasn’t helping her case at all—

“Heejin?”

Heejin turned around to see who called her, and saw that it was—

“Hyunjin! Hi!”

Despite her attempt to look cheery, Hyunjin must have read Heejin’s mood because she tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. “Uh,” she’d asked, “are you okay?”

Heejin deflated and blew the hair in front of her face. “No,” she replied. “I can’t get home because of the rain.”

“Oh!” Hyunjin reached for something in her pocket, and when she fished it out, Heejin saw that it was car keys. Hyunjin dangled them in front of her. “Need a ride?”

Heejin blinked. “Uh—”

“You know what? I don’t think I’ll take no for an answer, Heejin-ah,” Hyunjin told her, wrapping her fingers around Heejin’s wrist. “This is the least I can do to repay you for your help.”

Heejin couldn’t get anything out before she was being dragged away.

  
  


Once Heejin shut her door, Hyunjin turned to her and asked, “Can I tell you something?”

That made Heejin stiffen. She’s sure that anyone would agree that those five words were scary, at the least. “Sure?” she squeaked.

There was a few moments of tense silence, of Heejin watching as Hyunjin tried to psych herself up. Hyunjin was taking deep breaths and drumming her fingers against the steering wheel before she groaned and said, “I’m not like you, Heejin.”

Heejin was taken aback. “Huh?”

“I’m not good with … words. I know you know how to write your fancy speeches and those really smart-sounding essays, but I’m not like you.” Hyunjin turned to look at Heejin, and Heejin didn’t know if it was the rain that’s making them look brighter than she remembered. “Look, all I know is that—is that I _like_ you, Heejin. I like you quite a bit. And I’m sorry if that freaks you out because I’ve noticed that you can’t even _look_ at me sometimes and—”

“No!” Heejin interrupted before her fucking brain-to-mouth filter could stop herself, because of _course_ it decided not to work now. But—well. She had to see this through. “No, Hyunjin, that’s not it at all.”

Hyunjin’s eyebrows pinched, a knot forming in the middle of her forehead. “Then what is it?”

Heejin looked at her, and she felt her mind grind to a screeching halt.

Hold on.

She was so busy trying to clear Hyunjin’s misunderstanding that she wasn’t able to properly process what Hyunjin just said. Hyunjin _liked_ her.

Hyunjin. Liked. Her.

Sure, Heejin was expecting it, but—the girl she liked _liked her back!_ Can you blame her for being a bit incredulous? She thought maybe that—

“Uh, Heejin?” Hyunjin asked, and her voice cracked.

Oh, God. _Oh, God._ Hyunjin just told her she liked her and Heejin just kept quiet like a fucking idiot. Jesus Christ.

“Oh—oh! Oh, my God, yeah Hyunjin, I like you, too,” Heejin practically rapid-fired out. She reached out and put her hands on Hyunjin’s thigh. “I like you, too, okay?”

“Oh,” Hyunjin exhaled, putting a hand on her chest. The smile on her face was almost unbelievably wide. “Oh, thank God, yeah, okay—can I kiss you, Heejin-ah?”

Hyunjin’s question was so sincere and out there and _honest_ that it made Heejin feel the faintest tug behind her breastbone. Her hand curled into a fist from where it was in Hyunjin’s lap. Heejin nodded, and Hyunjin leaned in.

There wasn’t any feeling of fireworks or things falling into place or a warmth traveling from head to toe. There was the armrest digging into Heejin’s belly, the awkward angle, the lack of space, and how Hyunjin’s neck must have hurt from stretching. There was Hyunjin’s sticky skin and Heejin’s frizzed out hair from the humidity.

They had confessed messily, Hyunjin pouring her heart out without balloons or flowers or a placard, there was Heejin’s stuttered reply. Hyunjin didn’t interrupt her in the middle of a sentence and stole her breath from her as she placed her lips against Heejin’s—no; instead, she’d asked, quiet, shy.

This wasn’t anything like the movies, but it was perfect.

 

-

  


Heejin’s worst fear in this little bet they have going on comes true.

Hyunjin walks toward the game where you _literally_ have to play basketball (okay, not really, but it’s the one where you have to shoot), and looks toward Heejin with her eyes lit up.

“No, Hyun,” Heejin groans. “That’s unfair.”

“Come on,” Hyunjin pleads, pouting. “It won’t count in our bet, promise. Just one game.”

Heejin narrows her eyes. “It _won’t_ count?”

Hyunjin shakes her head. “Promise. I just wanna show off a little.”

Heejin raises her eyebrows.

Hyunjin gestures with her thumb and forefinger. “Just a little?”

Heejin rolls her eyes. “Fine.”

  


Hyunjin—she doesn’t even need to _try._

She is just sinking shot after shot, most of them meeting nothing but net, the _swoosh_ loud even against the blaring music and sound effects. Hyunjin is automatic, picking a ball up, getting into form, and shooting. She doesn’t miss a single one.

In twenty-five seconds and eighteen attempts, Hyunjin makes every one of them, and as the clock runs down, she picks a ball up and turns to Heejin.

She winks and mouths, _This is all you._

And it just _hits_ Heejin in that moment. It’s callback to a fond memory, sure, but it also reminds Heejin of what Hyunjin’s doing for her right now. Giving her a break, helping her let loose a bit, distributing her work to Haseul and Jiwoo, lending the little kid a hand. Heejin never _asked_ for Hyunjin to do any of this, for her, today, and Hyunjin was nothing but patient when Heejin whined to her that she needed to be home instead.

(God, Hyunjin is so fucking perfect that it feels _unfair_ , sometimes.)

There’s that tug again, and Hyunjin makes the shot, and Heejin doesn’t even look at whether it goes through or not before she’s pulling Hyunjin in for a kiss.

When it ends and Hyunjin leans back, she looks dazed. “What was that for?”

Heejin puts her head against Hyunjin’s chest. “Nothing,” she mumbles, “I just like you a lot.”

To Heejin’s surprise, Hyunjin’s quiet. There’s usually a funny jab, a witty quip, but there’s none. Heejin shifts, looks up at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin looks as if she’s on the precipice of—something. A question, or maybe a revelation. She looks conflicted, even, and Heejin doesn’t know whether to push or back away.

So she tries a tentative, careful, “Hyunjin?”

That seems to snap Hyunjin out of it.

Hyunjin laughs, and she cradles Heejin to her chest again. She puts a hand on Heejin’s head, strokes her hair, and all of Heejin’s apprehension melts away. “Well how convenient is _that_ ,” Hyunjin says. “I like you a lot, too.”

  


-

 

Hyunjin got an A- for her Math grade, and she credited it to, as she put it, “The best tutor-turned-girlfriend I could have ever asked for.”

Coach Do and the whole team were ecstatic, of course. Hyunjin got the grade in time for the second-to-last game of the season, which was always a treat to watch, anyway. Heejin came to see it happen, wearing Hyunjin’s jersey from last year.

There was a minute left in the 4th, and their school led by 4. There was a few minutes in the previous quarter where the other team was leading by 10, and Heejin thought it was a runaway, but they managed to turn things around. Now: to keep the lead.

“Let’s go!” Heejin yelled from her seat, clapping her hands furiously.

The other team ran the ball across the court blazing fast, trying their best to catch up. Their top scorer made a fancy spin move and scored on a layup. Hyunjin ran the play on their turn, but they attempted a three-pointer and it missed. The other team got the rebound, and the same scorer from just a few seconds ago scored on a mid-range jumper.

_Fuck._

There were nine seconds left and they were all tied up. Their school called timeout.

When it’s over and their team had to inbound, the ball went straight to Hyunjin. She dribbled in front of her defender, trying to run down the clock.

_Eight, seven_.

Hyunjin stepped into the arc, near the paint but not quite in it.

_Six, five._

She fakes left and right, confusing her defender, rendering them frantic.

_Four._

Hyunjin stepped back, shot on a fadeaway. Time slowed down as Heejin watched the ball go up, up, up, then down, down, down—

— _right_ into the hoop.

The whole crowd erupted in cheers. The opposing team tried to shoot a Hail Mary, of course, with three seconds and a bit left on the clock, but it didn’t work out. Hyunjin’s team won.

Hyunjin was running around, showing off the part of her jersey that had their school logo on it—you play for the name in front, after all, not the back. She cheered along with the school, drinking their excitement in.

But then she spotted Heejin and Hyunjin’s hands went from her jersey to pointing at her.

“You!” she yelled, “This is all you!”

To Heejin, the gym went quiet. It was just her, and Hyunjin all the way on the other side, her gaze heavy and loaded. Hyunjin slowed down to a stop, and as her teammates crowd around her, bumping her shoulders and slapping her on the back, Hyunjin’s eyes didn’t waver once.

_This is all you_ , she mouthed to Heejin, and that’s when Heejin knew that she was going to be in this for the long run.

  


-

  


It’s dark by the time the two of them make their way back to Heejin’s house.

“We ended on a tie,” Hyunjin points out as she backs the car from its parking spot. “Does this mean we continue on another day or … ?”

Heejin rolls her eyes, fond. “Sure, Hyun.”

(After Hyunjin finished at the basketball game, Heejin had to go use the restroom. And Hyunjin must have a thing for going to kids while Heejin isn’t around, because when she finds Hyunjin again, Hyunjin is crouching in front of Wonjae. She’d tricked him to look away for a second and then placed a bunch of their tickets into Wonjae’s pile placed in the little basket he was lugging around. _God_ , is Heejin in love.

But then Heejin checked her watch, and it read 6:03. They had to go.)

It’s quiet again as they cruise the empty streets, the exhaustion of the day getting to them both. The quiet hum of the engine and the cold from the air conditioning only work to make Heejin sleepier, and before she knows it, she’s out like a light.

  


Heejin awakes when Hyunjin whispers, “We’re here.”

Her eyes jolt open. She looks around, and true enough, they’re right outside Heejin’s house.

“You didn’t even _sigh_ , Heej; you slept like a _baby,_ ” Hyunjin says, grin wide on her face. She flexes her muscles and kisses each of her biceps. “I am a _superb_ driver.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” comes Heejin’s grumbled reply, still groggy from her nap. The fact that she slept soundly was probably attributed more to her exhaustion, but whatever.

“Thanks again for the date, Hyun, I had a lot of fun,” Heejin says, and she leans over to give Hyunjin a quick kiss. She gathers her things and moves to open the car door. “Bye.”

But then there’s a hand over hers, and Hyunjin whispers quietly, “Heejin, wait.”

Her reflexes are ridiculously fast, no doubt thanks to her athletic abilities, and Heejin squeaks. Hyunjin had leaned all the way over Heejin’s side to prevent her from unlocking her door, and her body was practically draped over hers.

“Yes?” Heejin asks.

Hyunjin sits back—properly, in _her_ seat, and asks: “Do you wanna go to Prom with me?”

Heejin can barely believe her ears. “Do I _what_?”

“Oh.” Hyunjin clears her throat. “I said—”

“No, I know what you said.” Heejin waves a hand. “I’m just—is that what you were trying to ask me this whole time?”

“I—” Hyunjin smiles, sheepish, and scratches the back of her neck. “Was I obvious?”

Heejin can’t believe she was nervous every time Hyunjin looked like she was about to say something. _God._ “Yes! And why are you even _asking_ —of course I’m going with you! I’m your girlfriend!”

“Oh, phew.” Hyunjin breathes a sigh of relief, and sinks further back into her chair. “I’m assuming you’ll send me the link tonight, then.”

“What?” Heejin tilts her head. “What link?”

“Oh, you know—to the Pinterest board you curated specifically for my look on Prom night. I’m sure you’ve already made one.”

Heejin’s cheeks blush a furious red and her hand curls into a fist. She does, indeed, have one for Hyunjin and one for herself. They have to match, of course. She just doesn’t appreciate being _read_ like that. “Fine.”

Hyunjin lets out a laugh, bright and airy. She cups Heejin’s cheek with one hand and leans in to kiss the side of her head. “You go on and rest now, babe,” she says. “Love you.”

“Bye,” Heejin whispers, opening the door. “Love you, too.”

  


A few minutes before Heejin goes to sleep, she gets a call.

“Yes, darling?” Heejin answers.

“ _I think I like this champagne one_ ,” Hyunjin says. “ _The one with the beads and the tulle_?”

“Ah, yes.” Heejin recalls it. “Good choice.”

“ _And the hair—this bun would be nice, I think?_ ”

“You want your hair up?”

**“** _Yeah_.”

“Hm. Not what I expected, but okay. What else?”

“ _This eye makeup! The one with the little beads under and the sick blending … I’m all for that_.”

“Wait. Which one? I think I have like … three of those.”

“ _The one that has red eyeshadow below the browbone._ ”

“Ah.”

“ _Yeah. Anyway, I’ll tell you later what I’ve decided for the whole look, but these are my thoughts so far._ ”

“Alright, Hyun.”

“ _I promise I’ll look my best for you!_ ”

Heejin smiles, endeared. “I’m sure you will.”

  


-

  


Even if there were moments were they weren’t like the movies, one of Heejin’s favourite memories of Hyunjin is one where she acted straight out of a 90s chick flick.

Her phone had been ringing on and off for a while now, but Heejin chose to ignore it—surely it could wait until the morning.

But on the sixth time, she gave in. She groaned, picked it up from her side table without looking at the ID, and mumbled, “Hello?”

“Heejin.”

“ _Hyunjin_?” Heejin sat up, having recognised the voice. “It’s—” she peered at her clock— “three fifteen in the morning.”

“Yeah, I know, just—come down? I’m outside.”

“You’re _what?_ ”

Heejin rushed out of her room and down the stairs, not bothering to even put on a hoodie over her pyjamas. She ran to the front door and swung it open, revealing a haggard-looking Hyunjin.

“Hyun, it’s cold, come ins—”

“No, Heejin, just—I need a minute. That’s it.” Hyunjin held up a hand, inhaled, and then put her arm back to her side.

“I’m pretty sure I love you, Jeon Heejin.”

Heejin’s heart—and jaw—dropped.

“It just hit me, tonight, and I couldn’t sleep, I felt like I could burst with it all, I _had_ to tell you,” Hyunjin said. “So I came all the way here.”

Before Heejin could say anything, Hyunjin put her hands on both of Heejin’s cheeks and pulled her in for a searing kiss. It was hard, but it was short, Hyunjin having already pulled away. “I’m in love with you,” she said again, and it rang in Heejin’s ears.

Hyunjin had walked away just after that, and Heejin just watched—half in shock, half wondering if it was all a dream.

So she was left there, flushed and shivering and _aching_ to say it back.

  


-

  


If there’s one thing to say about Hyunjin, it’s that she doesn’t break promises.

The next three weeks are a blur to Heejin—she gets through it in what’s probably a haze, just trying to make enough time to meet all her requirements. But she emerges, alive, and now she’s here.

She and Hyunjin dance, slow, Heejin’s fingers interlocking at the back of Hyunjin’s neck. They’re far from the crowd, in a quiet little corner of their own. Hyunjin sways them side to side, and Heejin takes everything in.

Hyunjin _does_ look her best. Heejin’s heart nearly stopped when Hyunjin picked her up earlier—and Hyunjin was _always_ breathtaking to her, but Heejin is still a teenage girl, and of course would be a sucker for seeing her girlfriend all dressed up.

“Look at this, Heej,” Hyunjin whispers to her. “Everyone is having a great time. Food was good, setup is gorgeous, and smiles everywhere I see.”

“Yeah,” Heejin says. “I had a pretty great team.”

“Nah.” Hyunjin pokes Heejin, right in the middle of her chest. Her eyes are almost painfully sincere when she says, “This is all you.”

And Heejin knows Hyunjin doesn’t mean that she should take all the credit, but she feels it, tugging at all of her heartstrings all at once. She can’t help herself anymore—she pulls Hyunjin in for a kiss.

Maybe this is like the movies after all. It’s Prom, and she’s kissing her star athlete girlfriend who just said a cheesy line that had become their ‘thing.’ They’re slow dancing, and a love song is playing in the background, and it’s practically picture perfect.

But when Hyunjin pulls away and part of Heejin’s dress gets stuck on Hyunjin’s, and Heejin laughs at the smudged lipgloss on Hyunjin’s chin and wipes it away, she realises it.

They’re really not like the movies.

They’re _better._

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi: [twitter](http://twitter.com/mediumcoelis), [curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/pisceshorizon)


End file.
